Prologue

“Are we alone?” Michelle asked the man sitting next to her in the front seat of the pickup truck. The light of the full moon shining through the front windshield highlighted his brown eyes. She thought his name was Doug but she wasn’t sure. Or was it Dave? Her memory was fuzzy after a full night of drinking and dancing at the bar.

“Nobody’s going to see us. We’re way out in the middle of nowhere,” said Doug/Dave. “Now get that bra off and show me what I’ve been squeezing all night.”

She laughed as she slid the T-shirt over her head and dropped it on the dashboard.

“You want to see these, cowboy?” She reached for the clasp of her bra.

            “Fuck yeah,” he said while sipping on a longneck beer.

            Another Friday night and another redneck, she thought to herself as the clasp of her bra unhooked. What the hell? The guy was somewhat handsome with gorgeous brown eyes. When he sang karaoke, he sounded like George Strait if you were drunk enough.

            She tossed the bra on the dash along with her shirt.

            “Ooooeeeee!” the Doug/Dave guy whooped. “You got some fine tits.”

            “Thanks,” she laughed.

            Her breasts were much rounder and fuller since the pregnancy with Missy two years ago. “You don’t need expensive surgery and implants”, she told her best friend once. “Pregnancy is the poor girl’s breast enhancement.”  Her new breast size made it easier to hook up with some man after closing time. Being a single mother at twenty-three, she discovered Friday night at the bar was her best chance to have sex. The rest of the week was filled with working her convenience store job and changing diapers at the house alone.

            “You like?” She threw aside her long brown hair and leaned back against the seat.

            “Fuck yeah!” Doug/Dave said and took another sip of the longneck. “My favorite things in the world: titties and beer. Two great tastes that tastes great together.”

            Michelle chuckled as he leaned forward and poured a swash of beer across her breasts. The sudden cold of the liquid on her nipples caused her to catch her breath. Handing her the bottle, Doug/Dave leaned in and began licking up the spilled Budweiser. Michelle enjoyed the man’s tongue lapping. At least this one is creative. Not like the last asshole who wanted nothing more then a quick blowjob. I think I’ll give this guy the grand tour tonight.

            She turned her head and looked out the front window of the truck. The pickup was parked on the side of a country road which the hazy full moon transformed into a strip of silver in the pale light. Off the side of the road, a stand of dark trees rose tall against the stars. A late August breeze scented with fresh cut hay blew through the open passenger window.  

            A perfect Oklahoma summer night for getting it on with a cowboy, she thought to herself. I just hope this one lasts longer then eight seconds in the saddle.

She returned her attention to the Dave/Doug guy who was working her breasts over like an expert. The warmth of lust spread through her body and she relaxed with eyes half-closed. The sensual delight of a man’s attention was something she didn’t get enough of these days. She settled in to enjoy every second of it.

            From somewhere outside the truck, came a low growl.

            Michelle reopened her eyes. “What was that?”

            “Waat wooss whaat?” Dave/Doug said with his face still buried between her breasts.

            “I heard an animal growl.” Michelle sat up and gazed out the side window where the shoulder of the road ran close to the grove of trees. She sensed something waiting there; something watching her from the darkness … something evil.

            Doug/Dave wiped his chin on the sleeve of his pearl snap shirt.

            ”A growl?” He took the beer bottle from her hand. “It’s probably a coyote.”

            “I think someone is watching us,” she said and pointed toward the dark trees.

            He peered out through the front glass. “Bullshit. I don’t see a damn thing. There’s not a soul out here.” Taking a long swig of the beer, he added, “Besides, it could be a bobcat or a bear. Or it could even be Bigfoot. Yeah, Oklahoma’s got him here, too. I’ve got a friend I go hunting with and he swears he saw the damn thing in the woods near McAllister one night. Bigfoot watched them from the trees for a while and then took off running when they drew near.”

            “You’re trying to scare me.”

            “Why would I want to scare such a stacked piece of ass as you?” He leaned in for another kiss.

            “Doug, listen to me, I don’t feel safe here.” She began to grab for her T-shirt and bra off the dash. “Let’s just go.”

            “My name’s Larry, by the way.” He let out a frustrated sigh and took a long, last sip of the beer before flipping the bottle out the open driver’s window. “Don’t be afraid because you ain’t the only one that’s got a rack.” He reached up and patted the hunting rifle sitting on the gun rack in the back of the truck cab. “This baby can drop a bear in its tracks. Don’t worry.”

            “Is it loaded?”

            “Fuck yeah. All I got to do is throw the safety off and jack a round into the chamber. Nothing’s going to mess with us, babe. Believe me.”

            She studied the black hunting rifle resting in the metal gun rack. The weapon looked intimidating and dangerous in the dim moonlight. No one would screw with anybody holding that thing, she decided.

             “All right.” She smiled and touched his chin. “Let’s continue where we left off.”

            Larry let out a whoop. “That a girl, I knew you weren’t no wuss, babe.”

            She lifted up her breasts with both hands. “Come and get’em, cowboy.”

            Larry leaned face-first into cleavage. He made a humming noise while he shook his head side-to-side. The antic caused Michelle to laugh out loud … the last laugh of her young life.

            From the corner of her eye, a large shadowed shape moved from the trees. Something heavy landed in the truck bed shaking the whole vehicle with its sudden weight. Through the back window, Michelle caught a glance of a dark hulking form against the moonlight. Wolf-like fangs and piercing red eyes flashed for a second before the creature leaped up onto the roof of the truck. The cab roof began to cave in from its weight.

            “What the fuck?” Larry said as he forgot about her breasts.

            “Something jumped onto the roof!”

            They both looked in dismay as claws pierced the roof and ripped open metal and fabric as if the truck was made of cardboard.

            “Sonofabitch!” Larry grabbed the hunting rifle off the rack. He jacked the bolt of the weapon as more of the roof gave away to the tearing claws. “What the fuck is it?”

            “I don’t care. Let’s get out of here!” Michelle screamed as she pushed the button to raise the window before realizing there was no power without the truck running.

            Above them the growling horror tore apart more of the roof. Through the ripped gaps in the metal, a dark silhouette of something with canine fangs looked at both of them.

            “God damn!” Larry said handing her the rifle. “Hold this! The safety’s off, so be careful.”

            “Are we leaving?”

            “Fuck yeah!” He reached for the key in the ignition of the truck.

            With a deep animal snarl, a clawed hand grabbed down through the open driver’s window. Larry’s head snapped back violently before he returned to facing the steering wheel. He turned to Michelle with a look of surprise and terror in his brown eyes … his beautiful brown eyes. His mouth worked silently as he tried to speak, but no words came out. In horror, Michelle realized why. There was now a bloody meat-hole where his throat had been a second before.

            She screamed.

            Inhuman claws reached in again and snagged onto Larry’s shirt. In a sudden move, his entire body was ripped out through the driver window. The heels of his cowboy boots being the last thing Michelle saw before he disappeared into the dark. Outside the truck, came the sounds of dog-like snarls. Michelle glanced at the truck ignition. The keys were gone.

            Larry had taken the keys with him!

            Through the front windshield, multiple humanoid shapes moved in a loping gate across the moonlit road. Michelle’s terror rose in her throat. There is more then one of them!  In a huddle before the truck, they fed like a pack of wild animals upon what was left of Larry. Fangs and claws ripped apart his pearl-snap shirt and blue Levis to get at the flesh beneath. His cowboy boots twitched from the violent tearing of the creatures. For the moment, they had forgotten about her. Breathing in short gasps, she stared down at the hunting rifle in her hands and thought of her daughter.

            She had to escape. She had to live to see Missy.

            She raised the weapon in her shaking hands. Larry had said the safety was off. Did that mean the gun was ready to fire? Her trembling finger slid around the trigger. Oh God, please let me live. Let me see Missy again. Raising the rifle to her shoulder, she pointed toward the passenger window and listened to the sounds outside. The feeding and growling had died down. She glanced out the windshield. The inhuman forms were gone but she heard a low, deep breathing outside of the truck. She fought back the tears blinding her vision and waited with her shaking finger on the trigger.

            A face appeared in the passenger window. Michelle glimpsed fangs dripping gore and red eyes filled with hunger and hate. Reflexes and fear took control and she pulled the trigger. With a thundering flash the rifle bucked in her hands, the recoil knocking her down across the seat of the truck. A loud whelp of a something in pain sounded beyond her vision. She lay upon the truck seat, holding the rifle across her bare breasts. A sudden movement came from the open driver window as another creature reached in to grab her. Screaming, she dodged to the side as claws ripped a swath across her shoulder blades. Kicking open the passenger door, she leaped out of the truck and fled into the dark countryside.

            Before her, stood the tall stand of trees and she ran toward them driven by a mindless primal fear. Her tennis shoes pounded through tall grass and reeds as low inhuman growls cut the night air behind her. She did not want to turn around to look. She knew her mind would shatter from the sight of what was now chasing her beneath the light of the full moon. She thought only of escape and to see her daughter again.

            She reached the center of the circle of dark trees. A hazy fog hung between the shadowed trunks and curled about her running form.  Michelle stopped in the clearing and turned. Her bare breasts rose and fell as she fought to catch her breath. The snarls of the creatures drew louder and she knew they were just beyond the edge of her vision and the mist.

            She still held the rifle, she realized. Her hands fumbled along the sides of the weapon. How did he load it? Finding the lever of the bolt, she desperately slid it back. A piece of cylindrical metal dropped onto the ground at her feet. The bolt snapped back in place. Was the gun loaded? Oh God, I don’t know.

            A hoarse animal grunt broke the silence. Michelle looked up to see black hunched shapes moving through the misty spaces between the trees. They moved like humans but sound like a pack of dogs, she told herself. What are they? Shaking with fear, she brought the rifle to her shoulder and slid her finger around the trigger.

            “This gun is loaded,” she yelled out into the night; her voice shaky and uncertain. “I’ll shoot anything that comes near me. Please go away. I don’t want to hurt anyone. I have a two-year old daughter who needs me.”

            A tree limb snapped and she swung the rifle toward the sound. A misshapen humanoid form with a dog-like snout was hunched down on all fours. Its mouth opened and saliva dripped from sharp canines as its red eyes glared at her. With an inhuman growl, the thing leaped as she pulled the trigger of the rifle. The clearing lit for a second with the muzzle flash and the blast from the shot echoed across the countryside. The next heartbeat, the beast knocked her to the floor of the clearing as clawed hands tore the rifle from her grasp. She screamed and fought against the nightmare with her bare hands pounding thick fur. The thing snarled and clawed away the flesh of both her breasts leaving only raw, torn meat in their place.

            She stopped struggling for she knew she was going to die. She watched in numb horror as the head of the creature leaned back and its mouth opened revealing a maw of fangs. A red tongue lapped out for a brief second before its mouth dropped to bite her on the side of the neck. The beast’s hot breath burned against her flesh before its teeth rendered and tore out her jugular. Michelle lay very still and looked up through the trees at the full moon as her life blood erupted from her bitten flesh. As the rest of the pack of creatures moved in to feast upon her, she thought of her daughter.

            Missy, don’t miss mommy too much.

            The last thing Michelle heard before life fled her body was a piercing howl echoing through the moonlit night.